Most Clinical Strikers

[foxfanazer]

I never saw much of RVN to be honest but my favourite striker / finisher in the premier league is Thierry Henry. Truly majestic when in his prime.

Yeah Henry must be the most graceful player I've ever seen

[Uncle Phil]

Van Nistelrooy and Inzaghi, maybe Trezeguet for one that hasn't been mentioned?

[fleckneymike]

I'm sorry but Ruud van Nistelrooy is absolutely, definitely one of the best finishers of all time.

You can't compare different generations of football and expect the stats to be equally impressive, they just aren't. Nor can you overlook the fact that Romario spent a large part of his playing career in weaker leagues in Brazil, the States, etc.

Even Jardel spent a majority of his career in a Portuguese league system where most teams were of no match at all for Porto and Sporting or for his own ability.

That's not to suggest that they weren't great players, clearly Romario was one of the best of all time, but it does make the point that goal scoring statistics alone do not qualify someone as a good finisher. Obviously they're a very good indicator but there's far more to it than just numbers. Otherwise some fifteen year old Sunday players who probably bag a hattrick every week against fat pubescent "defenders" would be among the greatest strikers of all time.

Anyone who's ever seen RVN play knows just how emphatically accurate and unforgiving he was when chances came his way and how miraculously he'd find space to carve them out. Absolutely phenomenal.

Don't get me wrong Van Nistlerooy was a good player but I just wouldn't place him in the same bracket as Romario.

There are no weird scoring spikes in Romario's career which would indicate a weaker league. Even if you take out the 20 goals he scored in the US and Australia his record is frightening, he always scored. His international record is equally amazing with 55 goals in 70 games (only Pele and Ademir have better goals to game ratio for Brazil).

The IFFHS rank him 11th in terms of all time Brazilian players and he is only beaten by Ronaldo in terms of Brazilian players of the last 20 years.

[ScouseFox]

Henry was more of a great player to watch who could create as well as finish, Ruud literally scored every goal from the 6 yard line. The only time he scored from further out than that was if he took penalties.

[fleckneymike]

Henry was more of a great player to watch who could create as well as finish, Ruud literally scored every goal from the 6 yard line. The only time he scored from further out than that was if he took penalties.

I'm sure at one point there was a stat showing he'd scored only ONCE from outside the penalty area for Man Utd. A proper poacher.

[Wymsey]

I'm sure at one point there was a stat showing he'd scored only ONCE from outside the penalty area for Man Utd. A proper poacher.

Statistic, not stat.

[AyewJoking]

I cant remember anyone scoring 60 like Ronaldo and Messi last season. Thats clinical.

[fleckneymike]

Statistic, not stat.

Either is fine (unless abbreviations are banned). Patronising winky smiley thing.

[Bryn]

van Nistelrooy.

[ADK]

In before looking up all time highest goalscorers on wikipedia and trying to look educated.

[Finnegan]

In before looking up all time highest goalscorers on wikipedia and trying to look educated.

Far too late.

[Guest MattP]

Sorry but Jardel was bollocks whenever he came up against real quality.

I've had a think today and my top 5 would be (and I took the question as in terms of being a lethal finisher)

1. Romario

2. Ronaldo

3. Batistuta

5. Klinsmann

5. Van Basten

[ADK]

I'm going to say Kevin Phillips would be my number one.

[Bayfox]

if you want clinical. ie actually scores when a chance arrives how anyone can suggest rooney or rvp (one good season) he often lets holland down.

you want fowler, batistuta, ronaldo mk1 and van nistlerooy. not sure there are any more in my life as a football fan.

[Wycombe Fox]

Jimmy Greaves.

He also had to cope with the transition from playing in black and white to colour. Can't have been easy.

[Guest ttfn]

In before looking up all time highest goalscorers on wikipedia and trying to look educated.

Josef Bican scored 607 in 406 games from 1928-1955.

I remember well him playing for Slavia Prague in the forties. I was a season ticket holder in the Poborsky end, and there was one match where he touched the ball 5 times and scored 5 goals. And that was on Eastern Bloc post war rations.

Now he was a striker. He'd be worth at least £200 million in today's prices.

[FoxyPV]

Jimmy Greaves.

He also had to cope with the transition from playing in black and white to colour. Can't have been easy.

I know I shouldn't but .

RVN was a quality finisher.

Outside shout with Raul in the top 20?

[fleckneymike]

Bloody hell, Jean Pierre Papin! He was class too.

I would say its harsh to criticise Jardel's record against top sides as he spent the bulk of his career in Portugal, Brazil and Turkey but his goals record in Europe was always ok.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Surprised nobody's mentioned Samuel Eto'o yet. David Villa has an absolutely lethal record, too.

Henry, Owen, Fowler, Batistuta, Raul, Trezeguet, Inzaghi, Ronaldo, van Nistelrooy, Shearer, Eto'o, Cole etc all the greatest I've seen growing up. Honourable mention to Ivan Zamorano who I used to love watching play more than anyone.

[Guest Bilo]

As amazing as Puskas' record is, and yes Bican's as well ttfn, neither translate to modern football. Don't forget that 2-3-5 formations were fairly common till the 1950s and football in general was very attacking, it was far from unusual to see a good striker rack up 40 odd goals a season.

My personal ranking would look like this.

1) Raul

2) Van Nistlerooy

3) Van Basten

4) Henry

5) Shearer

Shevchenko might have got there if not for the fact he was absolute pony at Chelsea, a record of 175 goals in 296 games for Milan in as defensive a league as Serie A speaks for itself.

[Apollo]

Darren Bent anyone? certainly not the best of all the names mentioned, but I always thought he was a good finisher

[AyewJoking]

Darren Bent anyone? certainly not the best of all the names mentioned, but I always thought he was a good finisher

Oh get Bent

[Zingari]

Josef Bican scored 607 in 406 games from 1928-1955.

I remember well him playing for Slavia Prague in the forties. I was a season ticket holder in the Poborsky end, and there was one match where he touched the ball 5 times and scored 5 goals. And that was on Eastern Bloc post war rations.

Now he was a striker. He'd be worth at least £200 million in today's prices.

yeah right

[Jonezy]

I'm in the Romario camp as well. Absolutely lethal in the box and always at the right spot.

In English football my first thought was Kevin Phillips, he always seem to score goals no matter who he plays for, and he is especially lethal when playing against us.

Just want to bring up Davor Suker as well. I recall him as being quite lethal especially for Croatia,

[Guest Bilo]

Here's an interesting question. Well, two actually.

How far away are we from the first £1m a week player?

How about the first £100m player?